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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230250">Transformers: Afterburn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroSuited/pseuds/ZeroSuited'>ZeroSuited</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work, Transformers - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cybertron, Empurata, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone here needs therapy, F/F, Gay Robots, Giant Robots, M/M, Multi, Original Universe, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KNOW ITS AN ORIGINAL UNIVERSE, Post-War, Some Humor, Trans Characters, can giant robots even get therapy? remains to be seen, so many headcanons, take a hammer and smash canon, there are so many crackships im sorry THEY MAKE SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY, this is actually an original universe so</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:46:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,613</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroSuited/pseuds/ZeroSuited</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An original continuity, has a blog on Tumblr with the URL transformersafterburn!</p>
<p>Optimus Prime is sick and tired of fame. Ever since the war ended, he has been given a title he doesn't think he deserves- Hero. With Cybertron crashing into it's New Age and Autobots and Decepticons joining as one, a new faction has popped up, believing that Megatron was correct and that Cybertron should rule the universe.<br/>With this threat growing, Optimus has decided to get together a small crew of five others- Bumblebee, a spunky New Age Autobot, Dawnbreaker, a fun-loving New Age Decepticon with a passion for medicine, Whirl, a bitter empurata victim with a temper, Soundwave, an old Decepticon warrior who's life and passion for music was ruined by an injury, and Terradome, a young prodigy of a biologist with a liscense in therapy.<br/>None of them expect to be shot down.<br/>Now that they have crashed on an organic planet known as Earth, it's a race against time and against themselves. Can they return to Cybertron and eliminate the Epsilon's invading forces? Or will the new group get the best of them, using the dark forces of the past against peace?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>A LOT OF OC/OC, Cyclonus/Tailgate (Transformers), Cyclonus/Whirl/Tailgate later, Drift/Arcee, First Aid/Longarm Prime, Optimus Prime/Original Cybertronian Character(s), Perceptor/Wheeljack (Transformers)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Act One: Ruinous Start, Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hoo, am I excited for this. This is an original continuity of the Transformers series, taking parts from my favorites and throwing them into my own things! This also has... Quite a few ocs.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Kshhhh….!</em>
</p>
<p>The screen in front of Optimus powered on abruptly with a fuzz of static. He jolted and sat up straight with a start, shaking the recharge from his optics and blinking fast- Some sort of symbol was flashing on it, bright yellow and vaguely shaped like an upside down heart.</p>
<p>"Wh…" He rubbed his temples- Someone strange was calling, and at this time of night too. Well, everything always looked like night out in space. But right now, it was night on Cybertron, so it was dark in the Arc and everyone else was in recharge. The ship's captain sighed and momentarily wished he could be in recharge too before pressing the screen. </p>
<p>"Hello, Autobot," Said an unfamiliar voice on the other end. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes again, he tried to clear the image- But all he saw was a vague, red and white colored outline. "Ah, Optimus Prime, just who I was looking forward to seeing."</p>
<p>"Who…"</p>
<p>"You'll meet me soon enough. Nevermind me." Cursing his blurry optics, the big bot rubbed at them, and the image came clean- A red and white mech with seemingly a missing optic. "But, we are the Epsilon."</p>
<p><em>Epsilon.</em> The thought struck him, about that weird Decepticon offshoot turned into a full-on revolution against peace. <em>These people want another war.</em> However, in his sleepy haze, he could only manage very few, unimpressive words.</p>
<p>"You… The terrorist group?"</p>
<p>"Ah, we prefer insurgency." The mech giggled eerily. "Anyway, our admin has located your ship, and requests that you and your crew come onto the deck with your servos in the air. Failure to comply will result in death for each and every one of you."</p>
<p>"What? What do you want from me?" Those words hit him like lightning, bringing him fully awake now. "I'm just a regular bot."</p>
<p>"No, no you aren't." Frustration began to build in Ops' spark. "You're Cybertron's ~hero~. And we happen to have a need for your head on a pike."</p>
<p>"Why my crew, too? Why them?"</p>
<p>"For an example. We have our own goals. You have five minutes to comply, else we shoot the ship and you plummet. Ta ta~!" As the screen blinked back to darkness, Optimus knew he had to warn everyone. He wasn't going out there, not in the slightest- He'd much rather risk a crash than die with his hands up to the Epsilon. </p>
<p>Not a chance.</p>
<p>"Crew! All crew to the cockpit!" He called into the PA system, turning all of the lights on. "We have company!" And he waited, worry replacing frustration. If these bots died, he would be furious with himself.</p>
<p>First to enter the steering center was Bumblebee, skidding to a stop and staring up at him with wide orange optics. "Bossbot, wh-"</p>
<p>"Not now. I'll explain when everyone is up." Bee hesitated for a moment, staring out the window to the endless stars of the so-called Milky Way. Prometheus' Belt was around here, a turning center of the war- <em>on a large red planet,</em> Bee recounted. <em>Maybe we could visit.</em></p>
<p> Soon, Terradome and Soundwave made their ways in, followed by Dawnbreaker and, last but not least, Whirl. Optimus' optics scanned the motley little crew, the femme stretching and the Empurata victim making a sound like a yawn. </p>
<p>"Whas' goin' on?" Whirl asked. "Can I go back to bed?"</p>
<p>"No. We have company, and dangerous company."</p>
<p>"... I still wanna go back to-"</p>
<p>"Who?" Terradome raised an optical ridge. "I'm not a fighter…"</p>
<p>"Epsilon. They've tracked us and they're going to shoot." Ripples of shock echoed through the room- Soundwave whined nervously as Dawnbreaker gasped, and Bee shouted indignantly. "What?!"</p>
<p>"They said we have five- now two- minutes to prepare." A little white lie never hurt if the safety of others was on the line. "Brace yourselves."</p>
<p>"Prime," Terradome whimpered, optics wide. "There has to be another way to solve this!"</p>
<p>"There isn't. I'm sorry." He shook his head, spark tightening just thinking about one or more of these innocent bots being offlined. "Prepare for impact." A crushing silence consumed the room, with Bumblebee and Soundwave leaning against one another for comfort and Whirl shaking with rage. </p>
<p>"Dammit," the blue copter shouted. "Why won't they get it-"</p>
<p>
  <em>Kshhhh….!</em>
</p>
<p>The same symbol appeared on the screen again-An upside down, yellow Decepticon symbol. Optimus pressed the screen, expecting the red and white mech, but this time, a different mech was there- Two cannons mounted on his shoulders and a smug, mean look to his face. "I see you've gathered your crew," said a rough, deep voice. "What's your ultimatum?"</p>
<p>"We're not doing it." And at those words, a grin split his face. "Alright. To get intros outta the way, I'm Doubleshot. Goodbye, Optimus Prime!" The screen powered off again, and everyone's shock turned to panic as a gargantuan warship came into view, and the cannons trained on the Arc. Bee clutched to Soundwave, Terradome shielded Dawnbreaker, Whirl stood with his chassis puffed out- </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BOOM!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BOOM!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Sirens wailed in their ears as the ship shuddered, then began to move downwards. </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BOOM!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p><strong>"ERROR. ERROR."</strong> The Arc's computers spoke over the din, horror consuming the room as everything began to abruptly shift and they hit the ceiling hard. <strong>"CRITICAL ERROR. ENGINES OFFLINE- CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO HULL. FAILURE IMMINENT."</strong></p>
<p>The crunch of a robotic limb. Shattering glass, the shriek of someone smashing their helm against the ceiling. The warm feeling of energon splashing Optimus' leg, gravity tearing them downwards to whatever planet they had been orbiting, all of it happened almost simultaneously. </p>
<p>He felt as though he couldn't invent or exvent as the screams of his crew rang around him and the room heated up, sirens wailing and flashing- Something, he couldn't make out what, had slammed into Optimus' chassis, and he felt himself losing grip on consciousness. </p>
<p><em>Primus,</em> he let up a silent prayer as his world faded to black. <em>Spare us.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Act One: Ruinous Start, Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The crash gathers some attention, of both locals and the ones who caused it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want humans, we have humans. If you want evil little bastards, we have evil little bastards.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>BOOM!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Cassie woke with a start to a shuddering sound, like the very world had shaken around her- Like something had crash landed. She whipped her head around to the window, watching as soil, stones and chunks of wood whipped against it- But luckily, it didn't shatter. Now, all was silent. </p><p>"Mom? Dad? Bazz?" She leaned her head out into the hallway to get her brother and parents and brace for the worst. "Cassie?" She heard her dad groan. "What on Earth was that?"</p><p>"I dunno, but whatever it was, it was big." Her younger brother scampered over to her and hid himself in her arms, and she couldn't suppress a smile. "Do you think something bad happened?"</p><p>"Let's hope not." Her mother yawned as she woke and ran her hand through her hair. "Let's hope it wasn't the factory, else it'll be a right mess in the morning."</p><p>"Mum, don't worry about work now," The girl objected as she yawned and stretched. "Go to bed." </p><p>"I could say the same for you, sweetie, you have school tomorrow." Cass just groaned and nodded, but as she went to her room, her little brother followed her. "Cassie," he whispered, tugging on her pajama sleeve. The older girl looked down at her brother, with his big brown eyes. They seemed to reflect the stars, they were so large. "Cassie."</p><p>"What's up, Bazz?"</p><p>"Do you think it was the big robots, like my toys? Do you think some of them coulda crashed?" The older girl couldn't help but smile- Oh, the wistful imagination of a child. "No, sweetie. Things like that aren't real. Just toys."</p><p>"Are you sure, Cassie?"</p><p>"I hope I am. Who knew what they'd think of us humans if they were real? We already have our robots on Earth. Imagine trying to deal with big alien robots." The boy took it into consideration, then nodded. "Okay."</p><p>"Go get some rest, buddy." With that, she ruffled his hair and went back to bed with a little smile on her face. As she snuggled into her pillows, though, she couldn't stop thinking about how huge that crashing sounded. It sounded too close for comfort. </p><p>Way too close for comfort. </p><p>-----</p><p>Doubleshot and Absolute Zero watched the ship as it plummeted, satisfaction curling the larger, dark green bot's mouth into a smile. "How was that, little guy?"</p><p>"Don't you dare start with that again." The icy mech rolled his remaining optic. "It went well. Remember, you have my technology to thank for this."</p><p>"Whatever, you stuck-up piece of slag. I shot em." He stretched and yawned. "When's Boss gonna let us back?"</p><p>"If you think I know, you're wrong." Absolute watched with detached satisfaction as the ship got smaller and smaller, disappearing against the backdrop of the green and blue planet- Earth. Soon, the tank spoke again. "You think they'll still be online?"</p><p>"That depends. As far as I know, it is unlikely." Doubleshot fist-pumped and shouted, making the much smaller mecha cover his audials and growl. "Stop with that insufferable noise!"</p><p>"What, can't a mech have a little fun? Oh, wait, you probably don't know what that means."</p><p>"Listen up you-"</p><p>"<em>Boys.</em>" A powerful voice, and the two stopped dead. </p><p>"Boss! Good to see you!" Doubleshot stood stock straight and at attention, making Zero roll his remaining optic- But he did the same despite his annoyance, far too fearful of the massive silhouette before them. "Mm. What was it that I tasked you to do again? Refresh me."</p><p>"Hack into the ship that Optimus Prime captained, take them hostage or shoot them down, ma'am." Absolute Zero answered quickly, letting no emotion into his vocoder. "The operation was successful beyond a doubt."</p><p>"Good." The shadowy figure loomed over both of them, even as a hologram. "It seems at least someone here has a brain module." Zero glowed with pride as Doubleshot blanched, his expression turning from shock into a sneer. "Well what about me?!"</p><p>"You did the shooting. You did your part, Absolute Zero did the rest of it. Good work, Absolute Zero." The small bot grinned under his mask, and Doubleshot gave him a glare that could melt even his ice.</p><p> "Now chart a course for base- Our next destination is the prisons on Luna-2." And as soon as the hologram powered off, Doubleshot swung for the tiny bot, who ducked out of the way and stuck out his glossae at him. "You stupid little-!"</p><p>"Nobody asked for a self-assessment, dimwit!"</p><p>"I'm gonna fraggin' kill you!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Act One: Ruinous Start, Part Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Survival rates were slim, but what are the chances that everyone lives?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Bossbot?"</p><p>"Boss, you online?"</p><p>Optimus' optics fluttered open, much to his surprise. System errors flooded his vision, but he looked past them for now, at the torn-up yellow Minibot and the limping Seeker in front of him. "You there, Optimus?" Dawnbreaker approached him, violet optics concerned and shockingly gentle. "Like, not a vegetable?"</p><p>"Yes… I'm here…" <em>Caved chassis,</em> he read from one of the many errors. <em>That'll be hard to fix.</em> The New Ages both sighed with relief and extended servos to help him out of the rubble. "We thought you were offline," Bumblebee sighed.</p><p>"I thought I was too," Optimus groaned as they lifted a heavy slab of metal off him. "Do you know where the rest of the crew are?"</p><p>"Soundwave went flying," Bee scuffed a pede on the ground as he talked. "I found them in a pile of junk. They're damaged pretty bad."</p><p>"What about Terradome? Whirl?"</p><p>"I saw Whirl's leg under some rubble," Dawnbreaker replied grimly. "We needed a stronger bot to lift it all. Terradome, though, neither of us can find him, and we're both pretty banged up." His optics traced along hastily welded wings and limbs on the young medic, and concern clutched his spark. "How long have you two been up? How long have we been here?"</p><p>"That's a question we don't got an answer for, boss," Bumblebee muttered. "We've been up for, I think, a solar cycle. On this planet, at least. You need help up?" Optimus looked at his legs, one stained with energon and the other sparking with a metal rod shoved through- As he noticed, a dull pain crept up the limb. "Uh… Yeah." </p><p>The Seeker readied her blowtorch as Bumblebee moved to Optimus' arm, his small frame being of little help as Dawnbreaker removed the rod from his lower leg. "Ugh…" He stood up, and Dawnbreaker began sealing energon lines in his leg- Soon, though he was limping, he was back in tip-top shape. </p><p>"Good job, you two. I'm glad you're at least trying to get along."</p><p>"Awh, it's nothing, bossbot," Bumblebee smiled, his screen face getting little blips of pink under his optics. Dawnbreaker just rolled hers. "We're pretty much just focusing on getting everyone. Nothing big."</p><p>"Still. You're doing very well. Getting along with someone you wouldn't normally is-"</p><p>"One of the most essential parts of being on a crew." The Seeker finished his sentence for him, she'd heard it so many times. "Give it a rest, Op." With that, she turned and started to walk into the depths of the ruins. "Come on, we have a helicopter with the temperament of a CyberGoose to find."</p><p>Bee and Optimus exchanged a glance before shrugging, and following her out- And Optimus got to see just how bad the damage was.</p><p>The entire hallway was at a leftward tilt, dull red lights the only illumination in the area- The sirens were all broken, no more obnoxious wailing. The lights inside weren't broken, however. The entire place was lit up in blood red, eerie in the silence surrounding them.</p><p>The discord of the Arc was creepy enough, but what struck Optimus was the way that the medic's tools were organized when they passed the medbay. Dawnbreaker always kept her tools magnetized to their tables, so it was neatly stacked and organized despite a gaping hole where the ceiling used to be. It sent shivers down the large mech's spinal strut, and he started to walk faster.</p><p>"Terradome?" Bee called out. "Terra, you anywhere around?"</p><p>His voice only echoed back to him, and he shuddered. "<em>Man,</em> this place is giving me the fraggin' creeps…"</p><p>"Stay vigilant, you two. We're all injured, the last thing we want is to encounter the locals."</p><p>"If there are any," Dawnbreaker added. "I saw Whirl's leg somewhere around here. Let's go." The Prime could still tell that this area unsettled the New Age Decepticon, and rightfully so. They all wanted to find the rest of the crew, and fast. They have to be alive. </p><p>Soon enough, they came to what looked like Whirl's leg- The unaligned bot wasn't moving, crushed under metal and outside debris. "<em>Slag,</em>" Bumblebee choked out, moving one of the smaller stones. "I knew he was a jerk, but to be crushed…"</p><p>"He's got a spark signature," Dawnbreaker murmured. "He's alive."</p><p>"I don't know whether to be relieved or groan."</p><p>"<em>Bumblebee!</em>" Optimus reprimanded. "He is our crewmate, and a valuable one at that. Help us unbury him." </p><p>"Alright, alright. I'm just saying, I was gonna pick relief." As they shifted and pulled at the chunks of steel and stone, the mech underneath invented sharply- Energon was spattered across his body from a wound in his side, and his helm had a minor dent in it, among other things. "Whirl," Optimus tapped the edge of his helm. The familiar yellow optic didn't flicker on. "Whirl, do you copy?"</p><p>"He's out cold, Ops." Dawnbreaker prepped her built-in welding tools and began to seal energon lines from the gash in his side. "I'll tend to the chopper, you two try to find Soundwave and Terradome."</p><p>"I know where Soundwave is," Bee broke in, "but not Terra. Who knew you could lose such a tall bot?"</p><p>"We'll prioritize Terradome, then get Soundwave and group up back here again." Optimus pat Whirl on the helm once, concern briefly flickering across his features before he stood up. "Where do you think he landed?"</p><p>"Maybe in the engine room, or if no, outside…"</p><p>------</p><p>
  <em>Where… Am I?</em>
</p><p>His processor ached, slag, everything ached as greens, golds and blues flooded his vision. He lay there for a minute, trying to drink this in. Soon, however, fear crept in when a large violet shape silently leaned over him- the two distinct cone shapes off its head were the first thing Terradome noticed. Purple optics stared down, worried. <em>Who- Wh?!</em></p><p>Sitting up with a start as fight or flight kicked in, Terra saw the large bot leap, soon transforming into an equally large jet and taking off without a sound. <em>What in the world… Where am I? Who was that?</em> His memory went back to the crash, and he flinched, checking himself for errors- But there were none. Just this dull aching in his processor. </p><p><em>That's really weird,</em> the hulking Autobot thought to himself, getting to his pedes and trying again to look around. His spark froze for a moment, and he ran a diagnostic for his terrarium- But his terrarium was just fine, so he figured there was no sense in leaving the area unexplored. <em>I'll find the Arc soon. This is an organic planet, no sense in not exploring a little.</em></p><p>Terradome began to move in the direction he thought was west. <em>This planet has a magnetic field, so my internal compass works, which is useful.</em> This planet seemed so peaceful, little avianoids chirping and singing as his heavy steps crunched plants and sticks. <em>I wonder what lives here…</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Act One: Ruinous Start, Part Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Two young humans, and six massive robots. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cassie ran off the bus and into the house- Finally, the weekend! </p><p>The sun was shining beautifully outside, the late spring air smooth and silky. North Carolina wasn't always like this, especially not around now; The heat could become sticky and oppressive too. But today was a golden day, a perfect day to get out into the world.</p><p>Ever since that weird bang a week or so back, things had been a little tense, but everything blew over within that time. The young human suspected that it was some sort of meteorite.</p><p> "Cassie," Bazz called as he ran over to her, a grin splitting his face in two. "Let's go into the woods! We can find frogs!"</p><p>"I'm always up for that, kiddo." Putting down her backpack, she grabbed herself an apple and shouted into the livingroom for her mother. "Momma! Bazz and I are going out into the woods!"</p><p>"Okay honey, stay safe! Be back before sundown!" With that, her brother grabbed her wrist and they rushed outside- The southern heat wasn't oppressive today, so in her eyes it was the perfect day to walk in the woods with her little brother. <em>Maybe we'll even figure out what crashed.</em></p><p>The walk was nice, to say the least- Tree branches with leaves of a bright green hung down above them, and the sweet, calming scent of honeysuckle filled her lungs. A large purple jet, very strange in color to the girl, flew overhead once with an astounding bang, Bazz pointing up at it excitedly and starting to talk about his robot series. She understood nothing about what he was saying, but listened anyway- Cassie loved her brother, and vowed a long time ago never to let him come to harm.</p><p>Soon, the two had gotten to the pond, and Cassie had settled on the bank as her brother looked for frogs. The water was probably the perfect temperature for a swim, but she didn't have her bathing suit- Either way, Cassie wasn't really in the mood to swim. She had an apple to attend to. <em>I still wonder what that noise was,</em> she thought, taking a bite from her apple. <em>If aliens really are real, then I hope they're nice.</em></p><p>After a minute, though a strange sound filled the air- too many birds filled the air and flew overhead, and she was jostled out of her thoughts.</p><p>
  <em>Thump…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thump…</em>
</p><p>It sounded like massive footsteps. The crunching of leaves and twigs, trees shaking in time with the apparent footfalls, even the water in front of her rippled. <em>What in the world…?</em> "Bazz," she said very gently, searching for her younger brother- But it was too late. He'd already taken off in the direction of the sound.</p><p><em>Crap.</em> "Bazz!" Getting up, she dashed towards the sound too- Sticks and roots whacked her legs and torso, her lungs screamed for breath, but she couldn't stop. The only thought in her mind was that her brother could be in danger. "Bazz! Bazz, come back!" She called, only to hear a voice she didn't recognize. </p><p>"Um, hello there…" Stumbling into the clearing, she saw a sight she never thought she'd ever see. Her little brother stared in awe at a massive, humanoid mech.</p><p>The thing was humongous- At least seventy five feet tall, she could guess. The lower half of its face was covered by a metal half mask, big blue eyes staring right at her brother. Its primary colors were green, brown and silver, with the front of what looked like a truck on its chest. Two red insignias that looked almost like a face were painted on its shoulders, and off two disks on either side of its head, what looked like simplified deer antlers curved up. </p><p>She noticed all these things about it, but one in particular stuck out- on its back, it seemed to carry a massive terrarium. The giant dome likely could hold at least fifty of her. It carried other things too- Small trees, grass, all of it grew at a sideways angle inside this robot's back.</p><p>Its head jerked to her, and she stepped back instinctively- This thing could crush her like a grape. It could hold her and Bazz both in one hand and- <em>No. Stop.</em></p><p>"Slag," it breathed. "There are two… Ummm, hello?" It spoke slowly, in a voice Cassie would describe as gentle in any other situation. She'd always loved writing, but this was a shock. It seemed like one of her stories was coming true. "Do you, uh… know where the Arc crashed?"</p><p>"Big robot…" Bazz breathed in shock, taking a step closer- The giant mech yelped and leaned away from the child's reaching hand. "Uh, umumum, what would Prime do…" It seemed to be panicking, so much so that Cassie could even feel bad for it. But it was giant, and she wasn't, and fight or flight instinct was kicking in. </p><p>Silence consumed the area as the boy stared up at the robot. It seemed so laughably nervous. But, its eyes were fixated on Cassie's as, finally, it spoke. "Is… Is this spark yours?"</p><p>"That's my brother." She took a step forward suddenly, testing the waters- Only to be slightly amused as the gargantuan thing squeaked again, flinching. "Slag, slag… Uh, um-" It waved a giant hand- "My designation is Terradome… I'm a little far from home."</p><p>"You got that right," She snorted derisively, making the big bot- Terradome- flinch. "Oh, crud," it murmured. "I can't let Prime know I was found by a local… Um, come on!" Suddenly, the robot grabbed her brother gently, who started to laugh as she shouted an objection.</p><p>"Wait!" With a loud, grating clicking sound, the robot seemed to be ducking down and transforming into something- A truck with a greenhouse on the back, it seemed. But her brother was in the passenger's seat, and she knew she had to chase after it. "Wait! You can't just-"</p><p>She ran after it, even as it skidded and disappeared into the woods with trees and branches whipping against it. <em>If mom finds out about this,</em> she thought. <em>She's gonna be so mad.</em></p><p>---</p><p>"Prime! Prime!"</p><p>Optimus' head turned abruptly to the sound of Bumblebee's voice, skidding towards him. "I found Terra! He's… Unscathed!"</p><p>"And I have bad news!" The massive bot transformed back from his altmode, and he was holding something very gently- It seemed to be giggling. "This… found me, and I had to take it to you guys because if I didn't it would have told its friends and we would be-"</p><p>"<em>HEY!</em>"</p><p>Terra yelped and covered his mouth a moment after- A torn up organic child was standing there, rage alight in her eyes. Optimus blinked- It was no secret that they crashed here. Perhaps Terra was just nervous because of the crash. The smaller one, a male, Optimus' scanners told him, giggled and waved.</p><p>"Put him <em>down</em>!" She stamped a foot, making Terra look to Optimus desperately. "<em>Now</em>!" The youngling in Terradome's hand looked perfectly relaxed, but the one on the ground was angry, and very much so. She looked like she would tear them apart with her bare hands. </p><p>Bumblebee looked up at Optimus, and then to Terradome, who was gently settling on his knees to release the organic. </p><p>"I'm sorry," he murmured, head bowed and hands open. "I was nervous. I wanted my higher-up to know that I was found out, 'cause we aren't supposed to be here." The organic's eyes turned to Optimus, who was smaller than Terradome- She breathed a momentary sigh of relief.</p><p>"You're his higher up?"</p><p>"Yes, I am. Designation, Optimus Prime." He put out a servo, and the girl took a digit with her own hand, shaking gently. </p><p>"I'm Cassie. This is Bazz. He's my little brother."</p><p>"Nice to meet'cha!" Bumblebee grinned as he spoke. "My designation's Bumblebee, and that's Terradome!"</p><p>"... Okay. I can roll with it." The little human nodded, then looked to Optimus. "What… Are you guys?" Cassie tilted her head. "My little brother watches cartoons with guys like you sometimes."</p><p>"We are Cybertronians," Optimus began. "Dedicated to recovering shards of the Allspark and being sure peace reigns through the galaxy. We were shot down by a new insurgency, called the Epsilon."</p><p>Both of the humans blinked, staring up at him. "We don't belong on this planet," the big red bot spoke again, "So we need you to keep us a secret for now. Visit all you'd like, but please, keep us quiet."</p><p>Cassie looked at her little brother, who nodded eagerly and excitedly. Then, she looked up at the big robots and smiled. "You got it. I dunno what my brother's excited about, but I think you're gonna like it here."</p><p>"... I just hope we weren't followed," Optimus looked towards the sky, blue and peaceful. "But yes. I think we will as well." Soon, a blue, lavender and purple jet flew above them, and Bumblebee shouted up to it. "Dawnbreaker!"</p><p>Bumblebee waved a servo in the air, and Cassie watched with awe as it transformed into yet another of them. Landing with a quaking of the earth, the robot stood up straight. "Good news and bad," she said, in a voice that Cassie could only describe as young and feminine. "Good news, Soundwave's up and about. They're waiting back at the Arc."</p><p>"And the bad…?" Terra looked nervous again, and Optimus' optical ridge tilted. "Whirl is pretty critically damaged. It'll be a bit before he's up and about, but he's at least alive."</p><p>"So everyone's alive?" Bee ventured. Dawnbreaker nodded, and he cheered, fist pumping. "Awesome! Everyone survived, and we met some pretty cool organics!"</p><p>"We should take this in stride," Optimus placed a servo on Bee's shoulder, then turned his head to the two organics. "Follow us back to the Arc, if you will. We have a lot of explaining to do."</p><p>"You got it, Ops. Is that okay to call you?"</p><p>And the large robot turned to her, and he smiled. "Of course."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Act Cybertron-1, Part One: Come Alive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Meanwhile, on Cybertron...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blastoff had been two weeks ago, and Rodimus was already nervous.</p><p>The young Prime wrapped his arms around his body as he walked, keeping his helm low and his optics lower; From an unknown source, they'd been told that Optimus' ship had been targeted and shot down. Here he was, fresh out of the Academy, already a Prime, and his father figure was assumed dead. </p><p><i>Ops would want you to stay strong,</i> he thought to himself. <i>He would want you to stay under Longarm, and with Ratchet and Windblade and Flamewar.</i> Rodimus wanted nothing more than to run from his responsibilities, just get away from it all, but there was no turning back now.</p><p>"Longarm?" He pushed open the door to the mass shifter's office, only to find the red ex-con- Flamewar- sitting next to his desk impatiently. Longarm always kept his office well-kept and tidy. Nothing was ever strewn about, nothing was ever a mess. Datapads and papers were stacked nicely, pens sat capped and organized at the front of the desk- It was neat and tidy, just as the shifter liked it. "Oh! Hi, Flamewar…"</p><p>"Hey, kid," she muttered, raising a servo in greeting. "If you're wonderin' where Longarm is, he ain't here." This threw Rodimus for a loop. <i>He's supposed to be helping me write my speech today.</i> "Did he forget about today or something?"</p><p>"I dunno. I've been tryin' to com him, but he ain't pickin' up." She held up her comlink as if proving it to the young Prime. "Maybe he's still in recharge or somethin'."</p><p>"What am I gonna do? Just wait around?" The poor young bot was exasperated, to say the least. "I've got my Priming ceremony tonight, I need to write that speech! Ohhh, I wish Optimus was here…"</p><p>"Chill, kid. Longarm'll prolly be around soon. Get ya'self a drink an' go see Ratty, 'e wants to make sure you're in tip-top shape. I'll send Longarm there as soon as 'e comes in."</p><p>"Oh, okay…" Turning on his heels and walking out of Longarm's office, Rodimus couldn't help but feel an overwhelming, looming sense of dread. Maybe it was just the pressure of his ceremony today, but he still felt like something was going to go wrong. He'd been feeling this way ever since Optimus had left- Just two weeks ago.</p><p>
  <i>And now he's probably dead on some unknown planet.</i>
</p><p>Shaking away those thoughts, Rodimus took his time through the council building- As one of the largest buildings in Kaon, it was certainly a sight. Both on the inside and the outside. On the outside of the building, metal gleamed in the sunlight of Cybertron. Windows and lights shined in the darkness of night, like a beacon to all of those on the planet that a new age was here.</p><p>Employees and visitors alike bustled about their business, and the small Prime made sure to keep away from those rushing or busy. Meeting rooms, cafes, office areas, archives, libraries… The New Age Council Building had it all. Some of the best medics on the planet operated here, too. The medical wing wasn't far from the central lobbies of the building- and neither was the science wing, where Perceptor, Wheeljack, and many other brilliant scientists worked.</p><p>
  <i>It's like an all-in-one, world-class tower. So why am I so… Terrified?</i>
</p><p>Well, one reason for that was definitely the Epsilon threat. They were bolstering and growing in rank by the day- Occasionally, an attack would be reported. Something would be bombed, someone would be assassinated. The Intelligence Agency would always be on the scene- Cyclonus acted as air support, Tailgate rushed in to defuse any remaining bombs, and Blurr surveyed the damage, to name a few. But they were bolstering. The threat was getting bigger.</p><p>Longarm was the head of the Intelligence Agency, and Primus, did the poor shifter deserve a break. He was working tirelessly, and answered every beck and call.  <i>Maybe when he gets here,</i> Rodimus thought as he finally reached the cafe. <i>I'll get him a gift or some food. He's done so much for me.</i></p><p>In the small line before the cafe, a black and red femme stood- "Oh! Windblade!" Rodimus was eager to see the familiar face, and she turned around as he called her name, bright green optics alert and ready. "Rodimus!" The Tarnish flier told the mecha behind her to go ahead and rushed to the end of the line to meet the much smaller mech. "Rodimus, how are you doing?"</p><p>"I- I dunno, honestly. I'm pretty nervous for tonight."</p><p>"Don't you worry about a thing," she smiled at him, kneeling and placing a massive hand on his shoulder. "Flamewar and I will be on security. You will have nothing to worry about!"</p><p>"Thanks," Rodimus couldn't stop himself from smiling, despite his nerves. "It means a lot to me, for you guys to do that."</p><p>"No problem, no problem at all!" She was still smiling gleefully at him, like she had not a care in the world. <i>Wonder what that’s like,</i> Rodimus thought. <i>I already know this is gonna be tough.</i> “Anyway,” the flier stood up to her full height. “What would you like? I will pay.”</p><p>“Windy, that’s not-”</p><p>“Nonsense, boy, nonsense! Let me treat you today. It is big day!” She handed him a datapad with the cafe menu on it insistently. “Pick out what you like and tell me. We both have very long day today. Ratchet is wanting to see you, да?” Some Tarnish still leaked into Windblade's vocabulary, and Rodimus smiled subconsciously. He'd always wanted to learn Tarnish- Maybe Windblade would teach him someday.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm gonna go down after I get the, um… I'm gonna get the clouded red tea with mercury bubbles."</p><p>"Ohhh! Good choice. I prefer clear red myself- texture is better." Soon, they were next in the line, and Windblade completed the order. "Thank you!" She added a generous tip as she thanked the worker, and then turned her bright green optics to Rodimus. "What does Ratchet want? Do you know?"</p><p>"I think he just wants to check my physical condition and stuff, just in case. Y'know, with the Epsilon getting really bold." Windblade's expression fell for a moment, and those observant emerald eyes became serious and severe. "I see. You know where you go if something does manage to get by me and Flamewar, yes?"</p><p>"Mm-hm. You showed me the evac route yesterday." Her smile came back, and she patted him very gently with a massive hand. "Good. You are fast. You will do good. Now, I believe drinks are ready!" Sure enough, the mecha behind the counter handed them both their drinks- Windblade handed Rodimus' down to him, and he took a big sip, savoring the sweet flavor. "You go to Ratchet now, okay?"</p><p>"Alright. You don't have to tell me twice- I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't." And he waved goodbye to the bomber and continued through the building.</p><p>Rodimus' Velocitronian spark made it very easy for him to move quickly- But today, he didn't want to. He just wanted to take in the scenery of the New Age Council building now. As the young mech made his way towards the medical wing, where Ratchet worked, he couldn't help himself from taking in the scenery. Fountains of beautifully clear water lined the center of the lobby area, with little depictions of Cybertron's cities in their centers.</p><p>First was Kaon, the city of the old and the new. History and technology clashed so strangely here- Rodimus wasn't from here, but he'd lived here since he was old enough to go on his own. Velocitron just wasn't for him. He wasn't loud and fast like the other racers- Kaon, he thought, suited him much better.</p><p>The next one he passed was Vos. The former Decepticon stronghold, and often considered the most beautiful city on Cybertron. Then was Crystal City, Velocitron, Tarn, Polyhex, Tetrahex… There were so many. It was almost dizzying to count them.</p><p><i>Oh, right, medical section.</i> Rodimus turned on his heels and began towards the halls. <i>I got so caught up I almost passed it!</i> Red Alert and Flatline passed him with a quick <i>hello</i>, and Rodimus waved shyly back as he continued for the old mech's office- And sure enough, the doctor was in, sitting at his desk and scanning over paperwork.</p><p>"Ratchet?" His bright cyan optics locked onto Rodimus immediately, and the old medic sighed. "Siddown."</p><p>"Wow, happy to see you too." The old mech just rolled his optics and stood up, putting his servo on his desk to stabilize himself. "Still haven't lost yer mouth, I see. That's a good sign." Ratchet made his way over to Rodimus with a sigh, grabbing the scanners from their decks and beginning to run them over the smaller mecha's chassis. </p><p>Silence consumed the room for the moment as Ratchet logged some things down and Rodimus sipped on his drink a little more. He hadn't the slightest idea what Ratchet was writing down, but knew it probably wasn't all that good. That silence dragged on as Ratchet scanned Rodimus' other body parts, until, finally, he jotted some other things down and looked at Rodimus with severe cyan eyes. </p><p>"Your brakes aren't working properly," he began, tapping his chassis with his pen. "You've got a flat tire, and one of yer chains is out of whack. Have you even been <i>trying</i> to take care of yourself?"</p><p>"Yeah," Rodimus began to feel a little defensive. "My scanners just didn't pick up on it!"</p><p>"Is there somethin' wrong with them, too? Do I need to fix your scanners?" Under Ratchet's critical optics, Rodimus felt himself shift and look away. "Rodimus, ya can't hide this from me. How have you really been doing, kid?"</p><p>"... Not too good." The bike sighed, his optics shuttering and closing. "Ever since Ops crashed, and everyone on board was presumed dead… I've been going through it, I guess." He felt a gentle servo on his shoulder. "I get it, kid. But you need to take better care of yourself. Optimus was my friend, too, and he told me <i>specifically</i> to protect you. You're makin' it harder for me to fulfill that promise."</p><p>"I know," he sighed as Ratchet began to work. "I'm just- I'm not ready to be in charge. I'm not <i>ready.</i>"</p><p>"Nobody's ever ready, Rod. Yer dad wasn't ready to be flung into war and leadership- He was your everyday mecha. Just a secretary." Rodimus didn't think it was right to call Optimus his father, but he went with it. It was better than the mystery he was used to. "I was barely outta medical school, and bam! War. Nothing's gonna wait for you to be ready. You gotta step up and take the wheel, even if you're not ready."</p><p>A bit of silence after that, and Ratchet withdrew his servo from Rodimus' shoulder kibble. "And you've got all of us behind you, too. Whatever ya need."</p><p>"Thanks. Really." Rodimus smiled, and the old mech smiled a bit too. "Mhmm. Now stay put- I've gotta get together the stuff to fix you." Ratchet began to move around at a faster pace, collecting various materials and such to fix Rodimus. Brake adjusters, pliers, all of it was going on the table next to the bed. </p><p>Rodimus allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment as this happened- First, they went to Longarm, and he frowned at the thought. <i>Longarm's never late like this,</i> he mused. <i>What in Primus' name is keeping him? Did something happen to him? Did he get assassinated? Blown up? Taken prisoner?</i> As these thoughts began to worry him, though, he didn't hear the steps from the hallway, and instead decided to focus on his drink as Ratchet got the rest of the materials. "Alright, kid," Ratchet began. "Lay-"</p><p>"Rodimus? Ratchet?" Longarm suddenly peeped around the corner of the medic's office, cutting the elder mech off and making Rodimus' head turn. "Oh, thank Primus! Hi, Longarm!"</p><p>"Yer late," Ratchet grumbled, going back to organizing his tools. The mass-shifter before them looked chastised at that, a little bit of blue coming to his faceplates. "Why is it that today, <i>of all days</i>, you're late?"</p><p>"Well… I have some news!" Longarm smiled nervously after a beat of silence, making Rodimus smile gently back. The poor mech always was very nervous around Ratchet for some reason. Rodimus was too young to know. Ratchet always said so.</p><p>Ratchet sighed and placed his hands on his table, then quirked an optical ridge at the taller, younger mech. "And? Spit it out, we don't have all day. I have to fix this idiot." Rodimus started to take a sip from his drink, but gestured for Longarm to go on anyway.</p><p>"Well… First Aid and I are expecting!" Now, Rodimus was wishing he hadn't taken a sip of his drink. He had to spit from sheer surprise, getting it on poor Ratchet- "What?!" Only after saying that to get clocked on the back of the helm by the medic. "Ow!"</p><p>"Don't spit on me, then! What were you saying, Longarm?"</p><p>"First Aid and I have decided to start a family. We went to the pools this morning- That's why I'm late. I'll still be here and at work, but I might have to help First Aid out with the sparkling sometimes."</p><p>"That's good news, kid," Ratchet smiled warmly, an odd sight from such a normally stoic mech. "You'll do great. Now go clock in! I've gotta fix Rodimus before he does <i>anything</i> else! Now scram!"</p><p>As he lay down, Rodimus had a feeling this wasn't going to be so bad.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Act Cybertron-1, Part Two: Come Alive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The streets of Kaon are coming alive- And the flash of bombs interrupts the night.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She watched the increasing crowds around the auditorium, and she smiled. She made a promise that tonight would be a success, and she would be named an admin. The two massive fliers at the doors wouldn't be a problem for her. She could go in, but her teammate couldn't- He knew he was wanted here, after all.</p>
<p>"<i>Mission is a go,</i>" She murmured into her com link. "<i>I'm going in.</i>"</p>
<p>"<i>Make sure to detonate them only when I give the signal. I will be waiting to hunt the young Prime from there. He will come down tonight.</i>"</p>
<p>"<i>Mm-hm.</i>" And at that, she powered off her com and subconsciously readied her turrets. Roulette made sure to cover the yellow patch on her chest- Putting on an act here was easy. The sharpshooter kept her head low, and her Autobot symbol on her chest- It was like a sticker, procured to blend in. Roulette wasn't exactly well-known, unlike her current partner. He was <i>extremely</i> well known. The boss helped him escape from prison here in exchange for a scientist and a medic, after all.</p>
<p>He did his job, and he did it well, but she couldn't deny that he creeped her out. That missing optic, the fact that if he didn't wear his mask, his faceplate would fall off- It was a grotesque sight. He was icy, and spoke in a constant, freezing monotone. Except for when he talked about his work. He was so strangely proud of himself whenever he spoke of what he'd done- Mutilation, empurata. But she wasn't here to ponder that.</p>
<p>Rain pelted down hard on Kaon tonight, making the roadways slick and slippery. It wasn't acid rain- that was a problem in the past- and it just made everyone's lights and plating shinier. <i>And a lot easier to blend in with.</i> Among the rainbow of bots, Roulette's soft pink plating didn't stick out all that much- There were bots here with white, black, red, yellow, pink, purple… Cybertronians came in every color. It made it so much easier to blend in here.</p>
<p>"Excuse me, so sorry," Roulette murmured sweetly as she made her way through the crowd. There were a lot of people here to see the priming ceremony- A perfect situation to cause chaos and hit their target. It couldn't be any better.</p>
<p>All she had to do was detonate the bombs. The femme took inventory of herself as she passed the two fliers, carefully making sure to keep her head down. <i>The detonator's with me,</i> she mused, placing a hand on her chassis as someone bumped into her. "Oh, so sorry!" She gasped. "I wasn't looking where I'm going, hehe. Sorry, mx!"</p>
<p>"It's- It's okay." The red and white bot was holding what looked like a metallico vat, and Roulette felt a pang of regret- But she pushed it away, remembering that the rest of the Epsilon were relying on her right now. She couldn't back out now. Tonight was the night she made a name for herself, after all, as one of the feared Epsilon admins. "Okay! I'm like, super excited for this!"</p>
<p>"Oh, me too!" The medic smiled at her warmly. "My conjunx is the one who helped Rodimus write his speech."</p>
<p>"That's wonderful!" Roulette gave a false smile in return. "I bet you two are like, super happy together."</p>
<p>"We are," they murmured shyly. "I love him a lot. Even though he lost his memories, and everything we'd shared together before the war came to us, he still wanted to try again."</p>
<p>"That's sweet… I wish I had a mecha like that." This one was genuine. Roulette always did want someone to be with. The medic smiled at her as the lights dimmed, and Roulette felt another pang of regret. "Aww, I'm sure you'll find someone someday. Now, it's about to start!" <i>Primus, forgive me for this.</i></p>
<p>As the Prime walked onto the stage, and the crowd cheered…</p>
<p>She slipped the detonator from her chassis.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>Rodimus swallowed hard as he walked out onto the stage, staring out at the crowd in front of him and feeling a sudden urge to turn around. He knew he was likely a really unimpressive sight, despite being polished to a luxurious shine and standing at his full height. Rodimus was only a bike, after all, and only stood at 17 feet despite being fully grown. The mech glanced around the crowd, trying to spot a familiar face- He saw Brainstorm and his student, Knockout, next to Cyclonus and Tailgate, and smiled. It was comforting to know that Knockout was here, too.</p>
<p>Clearing the fog from his vocalizer and standing straight, Rodimus started to speak. "Hi," He said as the room fell into an intimidating silence. "Thank you all for coming out tonight. I know- With the Epsilon growing bolder and bolder, it's a tough time. Even with that, you chose to come out and see this, and I say again, thank you."</p>
<p>The crowd cheered, and Rodimus felt a rush of euphoria- His confidence began to rise. "Even though the New Age is here, we still have our problems. I'm just a kid from Velocitron- I've seen them first-hand. Overcrowding, insurgency, organized crime… But I'll try my best to crack down on infrastructure- The only reason people turn to crime is because they're desperate. As a Prime, I wanna make sure nobody's desperate anymore."</p>
<p>He stood up straighter as he continued, this time with more authority. "Being a Prime is gonna be tough. I'll say it out now- With Optimus' recent disappearance, I don't feel like I'm ready for this. But with help from my fellow Primes, and Ratchet, Windblade, and everyone else who's close and my friend… I think I'll make it."</p>
<p>Rodimus heard a sudden click, and a beeping, and his confidence took a sudden nosedive. The crowd started to search the vicinity, and he did too- The beeping was rhythmic. It almost sounded like…</p>
<p>"IT'S A BOMB!"</p>
<p>"GET DOWN!"</p>
<p>
  <b>KA-BANG!</b>
</p>
<p>A flash of light and a loud noise, and Rodimus ducked to the floor, putting his back out and his arms around his helm. Debris pelted his plating hard as he heard screams, cries of anguish and panic, and chaos consumed the room. "Everyone," the authoritative voice of Longarm, over the intercoms. "Evacuate the premises now! We're under attack!"</p>
<p><i>I gotta get out of here. Like Windblade taught- I'm outta here!</i> In the crowd, Rodimus saw Drift drawing his swords, and Arcee with her guns- The two femmes could take care of an entire legion on their own. He trusted them to protect the people. His wheels shot from his pedes and he took off towards the emergency exit, skidding into the door and shoving it open. Momentarily, he cursed himself for bringing people here. He didn't know the attack was going to happen, but he may as well have. He put everyone here in danger.</p>
<p><i>I need to get to the council building,</i> was his only thought as he skidded through the rain-slick streets. His spark was racing and he felt dizzy, but the young prime knew he had to keep going. Around every agonizing, breathless turn he took, there were Epsilon soldiers- Both regular Cybertronians, and what Rodimus thought were amalgamates of sorts. He didn't have time to focus on them, however. Just looking at them made his tanks turn every time, so he sped up his pace. </p>
<p>Laser shots whizzed past his head, past his legs and arms- He felt a sudden burning pain on his ankle plate, and hissed as an error came up in his vision. <i>Right Ankle plating damaged. Leg collapse imminent. Frag.</i> He had to do something other than run now. So, Rodimus ducked and transformed, headlights beaming as he called for more speed.</p>
<p>More shots from pursuing Epsilon whizzed past him, and he was lucky enough to avoid them all by weaving through Kaon's many alleyways and streets. As Rodimus came to the abandoned parts of Kaon, however, the shots stopped- They weren't shooting anymore. </p>
<p>Now they were hunting.</p>
<p><i>Frag, frag frag frag…</i> The young Prime ducked behind a pile of old crates and debris, holding his knees to his chassis and shutting his optics tightly.</p>
<p>"All of you," he heard a grating, scratchy voice that made his plating crawl. "Leave. I want this target to myself."</p>
<p>"Bu-"</p>
<p>"X4I, do you want me to carve your spark out and rewire your processor?" A long silence. The rain pelted on. "No? Well, I would suggest you leave. In fact, secure the perimeters of the area. Nobody gets in, nobody gets out. This one is mine."</p>
<p>"... Yes, sir." Rodimus could feel hot energon running down his ankle. It was dripping onto the ground below him in a brilliant pink pool. He could smell the burnt metal from the laser shot, but he couldn't bring himself to look at his injury. All he knew was it was bad.</p>
<p>Then the steps started.</p>
<p>"Rodimus," that grating voice lilted. The Prime heard a sound like someone was drawing a knife, and froze. Tap, tap, tap came the steps. "I know you are here… Why not come out? If you cooperate, maybe I will offline you faster." He could hear him approaching so vividly, and the grating of metal on metal as his hunter dragged his knife across a wall made his throat feel clogged. "The longer you make this go on, the more stressed you'll make yourself. I want to go home at a reasonable time."</p>
<p>Tap, tap, tap. He opened his optics. A shadow flickered across the wall in front of him. The mech wasn't any taller than him, but he was carrying a medical knife- Meant for cutting away chunks of rusted plating, or slicing at a Cybertronian skeleton. Rodimus' energon froze, and his spark began to race even faster. It was so hard to vent. He just wanted one invent, but it was so hard.</p>
<p>Tap, tap, tap.</p>
<p>"So you choose to draw it out. Very well: I feel like you're very close," he heard. "You're hiding, now, aren't you? I have not had this much fun in ages. First was that chase, now this… It makes my spark race. Doesn't it make yours race, too?" He heard a laugh in the dark, and saw a red light approaching. That deep red, the color of organic blood. Rodimus felt sick.</p>
<p>Tap, tap, tap.</p>
<p>"Ah, is that energon I see? You are hurt already." Rodimus huddled behind his debris. Closer, closer. "It's your leg, right? I saw them land the shot. Come out, Rodimus. It's over."</p>
<p>With the last of his energy, he took off in a sprint. </p>
<p>He heard the pursuit of the mech behind him, and felt hot pain bursting through his left leg- But he had to keep going. He whipped through the streets, his tires skidding on the wet ground and throwing up water and chunks of old debris. Rodimus was exhausted- All this running away, all this stress and strain. He found himself hoping for a hero. Someone had to come, right? He couldn't be alone here, right? The thought didn't make him feel any less terrified. </p>
<p>He ducked around a corner, and heard skidding behind him- The mech had his own wheels, right in his pedes. He was gaining fast. Rodimus tried to knock down crates and boxes over the mech chasing him, but every time, he seemed to nimbly weave through. He heard a sound, like crystallizing, and Rodimus felt his spark drop as he suddenly lost his traction and slipped- His face met with black ice, and it made his spark freeze as he realized who exactly was following him.</p>
<p>Absolute Zero.</p>
<p>The mech chasing him was Absolute Zero. The icy outlier, the mad doctor. Everyone knew his designation from somewhere. The trials, the medical papers, the empuratas and killings. "Now, young mech," Absolute Zero tutted, placing a heeled pede finally on his torso. It was cold, so icy cold. Everything felt cold. "I told you stalling me would just make it worse, didn't I?"</p>
<p>"Get- get off of me," he stammered, and the other mech laughed, pointing his knife at Rodimus' neck cables with a savage light in his remaining optic. The other side of his face was blank- There was a hole for an optic, but no optic. Just a deep black pit. "Where should I start, hm? Should I carve out your T-Cog for my collection, first? Take off your face? Remove your wheels and kibble? There are so many options…" The Prime tried to kick at Absolute Zero, but he was too fast.</p>
<p>The other mech's heel landed in the laser wound, and Rodimus yelped as sharp, hot pain weaved through his leg and joints. The feeling was torturous, agonizing as Zero smiled and ground his heel into the wound. Hot tears were dripping down Rodimus' faceplates, and the pain never subsided- In fact, Zero seemed keen on keeping his pede there. "This is one way to keep you still," he laughed, running his knife up and down Rodimus' torso. "Now hold still."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Act Cybertron-1, Part Three: Come Alive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The streets are alive with the sounds of chaos as the search for Rodimus begins.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Cyclonus!" Perceptor heard the jet before he saw him- It was hard not to hear the agent's altmode as he transformed and landed in front of him. The much larger mecha stood to his full height, and his crooked wings tilted a little. "What's Rodimus' status?"</p><p>"He needs help," the jet replied, his voice steady but soft. "He's being chased into the abandoned district by what looks to be Epsilon and one of their admins. The small one."</p><p>"Slag," Percy whispered. He knew that one, most everyone did. Except for Cyclonus, it seemed. <i>I'd love to join him under that rock where he lives,</i> the scope thought, <i>but it's a little too late for that.</i>"I'm going in."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"I can defend myself. Tell Longarm to meet me in the abandoned district- He should be with First Aid doing crowd control."</p><p>"Tailgate's closer- I'll send that to him." <i>Right. Conjunx bond.</i> The flier and Tailgate were bonded. "I'm coming with you."</p><p>"Thank you, but I don't need the help." <i>Or you finding out about everything he said.</i> Cyclonus was still unconvinced, and put a hand on his hip. "Perceptor, you can't take on that many of them by yourself. I will relay your message to Tailgate and he will give it to Longarm." Perceptor found himself growing impatient, but Cyclonus was nothing if not exceedingly stubborn. And plus, at the moment, Rodimus was being hunted. <i>He comes before my rivalries.</i></p><p>"Fine. Let's go." And with that, the microscope took off at a sprint, with the sonic frame transforming and taking off with a sonic boom. He watched the violet and red jet streak through the sky above him, momentarily frowning at his crooked flight- Ratchet had offered to fix that before, when Cyclonus became part of the Council. But, again, Cyclonus was nothing if not stubborn. </p><p>As he ran through Kaon's rain-slick streets, he found his treads slipping a bit. He wasn't meant for this environment, not at all, but he had to keep going. So, running after Cyclonus, he began to prime his cannon. It was odd, to have a cannon on a microscope- And it wasn't originally there, either. Wheeljack had made it for him after he'd lost his arm in that Decepticon attack, when they were both younger. Perceptor found it extremely useful, if odd. He had lost a servo, but gained a weapon- A win in his book. </p><p>He followed Cyclonus through the streets swiftly, his optics never coming off the jet. The other mech's flight always was crooked in the time that Perceptor knew him. The damage from Megatron's abuse had taken its toll on him, but here he was, still flying, still alive. Sonic Fliers like Cy were fast, and Perceptor had to keep his focus entirely on the bigger mech in order to even remotely be able to follow. Thankfully, his speed also came with volume.</p><p>Soon, however, Cyclonus transformed again and landed in front of him, putting a servo back and telling him to stop. "There's a blockade of Epsilon ahead." He said, his guns emerging from his arms and his back. Perceptor hadn't seen those since the end of the war. He had to admit that they were still impressive. "I'll hold them back. You go through and get Rodimus. Tailgate has told Longarm and he's on his way here."</p><p>"Tell him I said thank you. Good luck, Cyclonus." And with that, the sonic frame shot into the blockade, and Perceptor kept running. The sounds from behind him told him that Cy was severely outnumbered- There had to be at least six Epsilon attacking him by the sound of it. Worry wormed into the mech, but he shook it away and came to alert when he heard someone scraping a knife against the wall.</p><p>
  <i>Absolute Zero. We meet again.</i>
</p><p>He was close, very close. Perceptor's scanners powered on, and he began to search for unique spark signatures- This would tell him who was nearby, and confirm or deny his suspicions. The first spark that popped up was obviously Rodimus- Tellable by that fiery orange color, similar in hue to the youngling's plating. <i>Outlier ability: Fire.</i></p><p>Then, another spark popped up- It glowed a cold, icy white. Dread flowed over him. He knew his enemy, and his murderous tendencies, all too well. <i>Outlier ability: Ice.</i> As the scan confirmed, though, a warning popped up too. <i>Warning! Highly dangerous individual wanted by the Council. Crimes: too numerous to list. Call intelligence agents ASAP.</i></p><p>Perceptor dismissed the warning and extinguished his biolights. He didn't want his foe to see him. Creeping forward through the abandoned district's many alleyways, the scope began to follow the signatures- Rodimus was very still, and he could hear Zero chiding him and slowly chipping away at his will to hide. </p><p>"Ah, is that energon I see? You are hurt already." Zero took his knife from the wall with a <i>shing!</i> and flipped it through his hand. He was smaller than Percy, but still just as dangerous as anyone else. "It's your leg, right? I saw them land the shot." <i>He's hurt.</i> Perceptor felt a quiet rage bubbling in his tanks. <i>How dare he…</i> "Come out, Rodimus. It's over."</p><p>Percy saw Rodimus take off in a frantic sprint, and Zero start to follow. So he did, too, diverting just a little more power towards his arm. <i>I'll need to shoot fast if I want to help.</i> So, getting up and giving chase, Perceptor got ready for confrontation. Watching the silhouette of Zero chase after Rodimus made him shiver as he cut through the rainy alleyways and the rubble strewn about- He couldn’t let one of Kaon’s Primes get killed, and not by Absolute Zero. </p><p>The scope saw his charge take a running dash down an alleyway, and felt his tanks tighten with dread as the Epsilon admin’s spark started to glow brightly in his vision. Soon, he found the floor covered in black ice, and heard Rodimus slip before he saw it- Only to slip himself, coming crashing down hard on the pavement and listening as Absolute Zero gloated about his chase and victory over Rodimus. Gritting his dentae as he found his grip again, Perceptor stood, and took aim, right as the monoformer pointed his knife at Rodimus' throat. </p><p>"Rodimus! Look out!"</p><p>-------</p><p>"Rodimus! Look out!"</p><p>Roddy saw the cyan energy shot before he saw the mech behind it. Zero leapt away from the shot and rolled to his pedes as Rodimus struggled away, his ankle and leg burning with pain. Energon stained the back of Absolute Zero's heel, and the motorbike grimaced as he attempted to stand up and called to his savior. "Percy!"</p><p>"I'm here," The scope reassured as he came into view, guarding Rodimus as his cannon charged again. "This one is under my protection, Zero. Leave." The smaller mech was quiet as he brandished his knife, staring through Perceptor with a bright, murderous light to his remaining optic. </p><p>Silence consumed the area as the two stared at each other, and Rodimus got the hint that there was something he didn't know about the mecha here. What he was witnessing was like a standoff from the old movies- The air was tense, like a storm about to break. Perceptor's cannon arm buzzed and charged, and Absolute Zero rolled his shoulders back. </p><p>Rodimus wanted to take off at a sprint, leave this place, but he knew the Epsilon were blocking them in- Besides, it's not like he could get very far with the gaping, leaking hole in his leg. White-hot pain still shot up the limb, and Rodimus was thankful, albeit with a tight feeling in his fuel tank, that it was his only terrible injury. </p><p>Abruptly, Absolute Zero leapt for Perceptor, and the small mecha backed away as the two fought- Swing after agonizing swing connected with Perceptor's cannon as he deflected and tried to kick or shake the other mecha off him. Bright pink energon flew, and he heard Percy snarl with pain and determination. Finally, the scope was able to grab the monoformer by the shoulder kibble and bat him through the air with his cannon, sending him reeling and his knife clattering out of his hand. Zero snatched his knife off the ground and began to rush for the other mech again as a cyan shot whizzed past his head, and that's when Rodimus looked away.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Act Cybertron-1, Part Four: Come Alive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The fight rages on. When the dust settles, Rodimus realizes change is inevitable.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zero ducked under the blue shot and smiled under his mask as he heard it shatter against the back wall. His opponent had missed. Perceptor's arm needed time to charge, he could tell, and this time left the perfect vulnerability for him to get in close to the scope and really hit where it hurt. He dipped under his enemy's legs and swung, and Perceptor blocked with the reinforced arm. Sparks spat from the metal as it grated together, the sharp noise painful to any untrained audial. </p>
<p>Percy felt a dull, burning pain as his opponent’s knife clashed again and again with his cannon. He deflected to the left, and his opponent leapt for him again with a bloodlust, a fervor. Each and every one of the Epsilon admin’s attacks was meant for a deadlier mark than Perceptor’s arm, as the smaller mech clearly intended to murder- But every time, his opponent was faster, and blocked the blows. Perceptor knew he couldn’t keep doing this. His spark hammered, and his vents wheezed for air. Every bit of his processor was telling him to back away, but he had to keep fighting. He had to protect Rodimus. Absolute Zero, however, was quite the opposite of him- He wasn’t seeming to tire, and just kept hammering away at the scope’s defenses.</p>
<p>The knife grated against his arm again, and the two pressed into the clash, each trying to knock the other down or at least make them falter. Sparks spat, and the two stared the other down between the clash. Cyan optics burned into a singular red one, the red coupled by an empty black pit. A determination lit a fire into Perceptor’s spark- He wasn’t going to let his old enemy win, not a chance. Even if he died here, Longarm was on his way, charged and ready. Longarm would avenge him. Percy leaned into the blow with all of his weight, putting pressure on the monoformer- But this was exactly what he was counting on. </p>
<p>In a swift movement, the Epsilon admin snatched his knife away from the clash and retreated slightly, causing Perceptor to stumble and nearly fall- He went to his knees, and the monoformer leapt. All at once, Absolute Zero sprung from Kaon’s slick ground and towards Percy’s back. The larger mech was exhausted and disoriented by the monoformer’s swift movements and it was exactly what he wanted. Zero landed hard on Percy and dug his knife in harder as pink energon soaked his white plating, and the scope responded with a cry of pain. As his opponent attempted to grab and throw him off again, however, with the grace of a cat the monoformer yanked his knife upwards and out. This created a massive, deep gash on Perceptor, and he faltered for another moment with the pain, allowing the monoformer to keep his balance and dig his knife again into the other’s plating.</p>
<p>Rodimus, watching all this, covered his mouth and curled into his hiding spot even more. That could have very well hit Perceptor's spinal strut. As the scope fell to the ground, he could only hope that there was someone coming to help- It was that same false hope from before that made his tanks churn. Rodimus felt a morbid curiosity as he heard Absolute Zero's laughter, and leaned his head slowly out to watch again- If these were Perceptor’s final moments, he wanted to be sure he could tell of heroism. </p>
<p>If Rodimus even got out alive.</p>
<p>The youngling’s spark was hammering as he watched Zero, standing with his knife poised for Percy’s throat. Just beneath that plating was a major energon line, his voice box and even his spinal strut. Cutting through that wouldn’t mean instant death, but it would be very close. They would need medics as soon as possible, and even then, the possibility of Perceptor offlining in the process was extreme.</p>
<p>“Finally,” Zero purred and placed his heel on the scope's chassis as his enemy groaned with pain. “We meet again. Hopefully for the last time.” The Prime’s brow furrowed as he said that. <i>What in Spark’s name does he mean…?</i> He wondered to himself. But he had a feeling he wouldn’t get to know the answer. “Although... I must ask you one thing before I end your life, old friend.” Those words dripped with a mocking tone. Rodimus heard steps, and he saw blue and cyan lights- Lights he knew very well. But Absolute Zero was so busy savoring his victory that he never noticed the lights. Even as his silhouette cast blue along the wall in front of him. His remaining optic was focused directly on Perceptor, and as he started to speak and pressed his knife up against Perceptor’s neck cables-</p>
<p>“Percy! Now!”</p>
<p>In a last-ditch burst of energy, Perceptor took advantage of the smaller mech’s cocky, victorious pride and shoved him away, rolling to the side. The last thing Rodimus saw before a blinding flash and the smell of ozone consumed the area was an arc of bright light coursing towards the Epsilon admin. The youngling had to shield his optics as the air cracked with thunder and electricity, and he heard the unfamiliar sound of a mech getting electrocuted- It was a strange noise, coupled with the crackling of Absolute Zero’s plating, and the closest thing that Rodimus could connect it to was a mix between a gargle and a screech.</p>
<p>All of this happened in about a second, and the next thing Rodimus could see was Zero, still standing, with smoke rolling off his plating and a disoriented sway to his movements. In another second, the mech groaned then collapsed, and Longarm stepped into the dim light, his servos smoking and sparking too. “I have to say,” he sighed. “Absolute Zero, you’re lucky I wasn’t at full charge.” The youngling just about melted with relief as he limped towards their friend, and Longarm turned towards him with a gentle concern. “Longarm, thank you s-“</p>
<p>“Rodimus, not now,” he said gently. “We need to get you and Percy to a medic. First Aid and Swoop are on their way to airlift Percy, and I’ll carry you back.”</p>
<p>“But- But what about-“</p>
<p>“We’ll deal with Absolute Zero another day. You two are my concern, he isn’t.” Rodimus heard the monoformer groan and saw him shift, and his tanks tightened with dread- But when Zero stood, he felt for his knife, and it dawned on him that the strike had destroyed it. “You...” he gasped out as he began to retreat into Kaon’s shadows, his chassis and other plating darkened and ashy. Zero glared right at Rodimus as his staticky, scratchy voice came back to him. “You should have- have just lay down… This is only- only the beginning...”</p>
<p>“<i>Leave,</i>” Longarm insisted, his blue gaze turning steely. “Allow me to reiterate: you’re lucky I wasn’t at full charge. And don’t return unless you want me to show you full charge. My abilities could reduce you to a singular atom.” Zero’s remaining optic narrowed, and he hissed a sigh, then turned and rushed into the alleyways as the sound of Swoop’s wings and First Aid’s sirens consumed the area. </p>
<p>First came the Dinobot, and she transformed before she hit the ground, kneeling by Percy and checking his condition- Then came First Aid, their sirens wailing as they transformed and sprinted towards Rodimus. "Rod! Rod, please tell me he didn't…"</p>
<p>"The only thing he really did was shove his heel in this," Rodimus lifted his leg and leaned on Longarm for support, watching First Aid grimace and their face contort to an expression of sympathy. "I got shot by some Epsilon foot soldiers before I ended up here." First Aid knelt to his ankle and took out their kit from their chassis, flipping open the blowtorch and sealing the energon lines with quick servos. </p>
<p>Rodimus gritted his dentae as the flames scorched his plating, but as quickly as it began it ended- And he was already feeling better. "That should feel better," they said, standing up and smiling at him. He offered a little smile back. "If you get any really bad pain there after tomorrow, and if an energon crust forms on the edge, tell Ratchet right away."</p>
<p>"Thanks," he murmured, testing the limb and grimacing. It still hurt, but he could walk on it now without feeling like his leg was going to fall apart. He started to limp out of the alleyway, but stopped when he felt Longarm grab him and lift up. “You’re not walking on that,” he said sternly, a troubled look to his face. “I’ll carry you back. You need to rest before anything else.” The mass shifter began to walk back to the council building and the hab suites attached to it with heavy steps, and Rodimus felt a knot of dread beginning to form in his fuel tank. <i>Is he angry at me?</i></p>
<p>Rodimus tried to make sense from the elder mech’s expression, but there was nothing to make sense of. Longarm wasn’t known for his distance like this- in fact, he was known for being a warm, likable personality, and fatherly towards almost everyone. Yet here he was, being completely distant from Rodimus. Completely silent. It sent a shiver up his spinal strut- He’d never seen someone normally so caring suddenly so cold. He wanted to ask, wanted to say something, but Longarm never looked down at him. He just kept his optics forward.</p>
<p>Rodimus looked forward now, looking into the chaos of Kaon’s square- Shattered portions of pavement sat around, laser shot burns on walls, even… <i>Oh, Primus, are those corpses?</i> Sure enough, there they were, eyes open in a macabre shock and bodies stiff and grey.</p>
<p>Rodimus saw both Decepticon and Autobot, lying dead together on the pavement. The scene was entirely still, almost peaceful if it weren’t for the sheer groundbreaking feeling of the situation. They were just attacked, for the first time since the siege of Kaon. For the first time since the war, bodies lined the street. He looked up at Longarm, and saw a new expression there- A weariness. The youngling always saw this expression on Ratchet whenever he spoke of the war, whenever he talked about how Decepticons and Autobots plunged a planet into civil war. Now he saw it on Longarm, someone so much younger than Ratchet… It felt like something had snapped. There was no going back.</p>
<p>Longarm continued forward faster, and Rodimus was walked away from the scene with it imprinted in his processor. He felt like this was just the beginning. There was so much more to come. It put a dreadful feeling into him, and he looked up into the rain to wash the sight from his optics. His mind went back to Absolute Zero, what he’d said, and he shuddered and inched closer to Longarm.</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>“This is just the beginning.”</b>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Act Cybertron-1, Part Five: Come Alive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The dust settles and the Cybertronian sun rises again on the council building's infirmary.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back! I promise I didn't abandon this, lmao. Team Prime comes back into focus after this one!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rodimus didn't remember falling into recharge. His optics felt as though they were welded shut, and as he came back to consciousness and remembered what had happened at his ceremony, he suddenly wanted to go back into recharge. By the beeping of medbay equipment surrounding him and the sound of heavy, shuffling pedesteps, Longarm had left him with Ratchet for observation. Rodimus felt a sick feeling bubbling up in him as the events of his priming ceremony rushed back all at once- The bombs, the chase, Absolute Zero's attack. It was all too much. <i>And it was all my fault.</i></p><p>At that realization, the sick feeling became overwhelming. It was coupled by guilt, such a terrible guilt that consumed every bit of his processor- Percy had to save his life. And then after Percy nearly died, Longarm had to save both of them. Only Cybertron knew how many other agents were in the medbay with him, staving off their own injuries to live another day- The Prime didn't want to open his optics and see. He wanted to curl up and let the bed absorb him, disappear and fade away and never come back because it was all his fault and he was bad at this and-</p><p><i>No. Optimus would want you to face it. He would want you to stay strong.</i> So, the youngling steeled himself and opened his optics. The process was slow and felt like restarting one of Kup's ancient computers- His exhaustion had practically welded his optics shut. Soon, though, he managed, and as he saw Ratchet exiting the room, he really took a look around. What pleasantly surprised him was there not being a lot of agents in this room- There were only a few here, and all of them were ones Rodimus knew. <i>That was probably on purpose. A lot more people got hurt.</i></p><p>In the bed next to him was Perceptor. The scope had various mechanisms hooked up to him, including energon transfusion and other such life-saving things- Worry sank like a stone in the pit of Rodimus' tanks. He was flipped onto his chassis side, and welds were stark against his red, yellow and black plating. First Aid had basically had to weld him back together- The welds were very fresh, and the youngling momentarily thought about how much internal fixing the medics had done. After that, he decided he didn't want to think about it, and looked elsewhere.</p><p>Nearby lay Cyclonus, with laser marks scorching his plating in almost every place- But the flier was awake and alert, with Tailgate's servo clutched in his as the little mech worried over his conjunx. “Gate,” Cyclonus sighed, his cherry optics half closed. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry so much.” The small mech began to wave his arms through the air, and it made the youngling smile just a little. “You got shot <i>twenty times!</i> Of <i>course</i> I’m gonna worry!” <i>Twenty…</i> His smile faded. <i>I did this… I caused this.</i></p><p>That sinking feeling of guilt gnawed a hole in his fuel tanks again. Hot tears started to bubble up in his optics, and Roddy shut them and flipped onto one side. His chassis felt tight, like someone’s servo was grabbing his internal mechanisms and pulling. His vocalizer was filled with static, his servos were shaking, everything, <i>everything</i> felt so tight and stifling. Rodimus couldn’t invent. He was just stuck in this state, feeling like he was about to explode.</p><p>“Rodimus?” He was snapped back to reality by Cyclonus, and his magenta optics opened to cherry red ones. The flier was scorched and basically welded together in numerous places, and that tight feeling got worse. “You’re awake. We were worried about you- Ratchet said he was concerned the wound in your ankle would get a rust infection.” Cy placed a massive, gentle servo on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"</p><p>Rodimus couldn't respond. He knew his voice would warble and crack if he did, and the last thing he wanted was to show how terribly he was struggling. The little bike didn't want to show them how he was struggling with all of this. Cyclonus' brow tilted, and the small mech felt a stab of guilt. "Rodimus...? You look like you're about to cry…"</p><p>"Cyc, I…" The youngling couldn't hold it back anymore. His venting hitched, and tears fell hot down his face. "I'm so sorry…. It's all my fault, it's all my fault!"</p><p>"Hey, hey," Tailgate hopped up beside him and wrapped an arm around him as Roddy sobbed and buried his faceplates in Tailgate's shoulder. "Who made you think this? I'll beat their aft in!"</p><p>"Gate," Cyclonus reprimanded his conjunx softly. "I don't think that's going to help anything." </p><p>"Oh, alright," The white and blue mech huffed. "But I totally would." Rodimus just shook his head and closed his optics. "It's not your fault, anyway. Whoever told you that's gonna get-"</p><p>"<i>Tailgate.</i> We'll discuss that later." The sonic flier leaned his head down to Rodimus' level. "Rodimus, please. Lift your head. I promise, you can trust us."</p><p>"I- I just…" He looked up at Cyclonus through optics fogged with despair, breaking the hug. "It's all my fault… I'm not ready for this. I want- want Optimus to come back…"</p><p>"None of this is your fault," The older mecha sighed. "I used to think the same way with what happened to me. You need to realize, Rodimus, sometimes things happen for no reason other than the person behind them wanting them to happen." Cyclonus' expression went dark. "Just like what Megatron did to me wasn't my fault, what the Epsilon have done to you and Optimus weren't either of your faults. It's entirely on them."  Tailgate nodded along with the words of his conjunx, then slammed a fist into an open servo with a flame in his visor. "I swear, Rod, As soon as I see those smug pieces of slag, I'm gonna give them what for! They had no <i>right</i> to ruin that for you! You deserve so much better!"</p><p>"This isn't just about <i>me</i>," Rodimus rubbed his faceplates. He felt a little irritated, but quickly shoved it down.. "Mecha <i>died</i> out there. And it's all my fault. The whole ceremony thing shouldn't have happened- I might as well have killed those mecha."</p><p>"Did you shoot the laser bolts into their sparks?" The violet jet's tone was a little sharper now, almost reprimanding. "Did you saw them apart? Were your servos on any of those weapons, and did you want to kill with those weapons?" Rodimus was silent now. His digits intertwined as he looked away from Cyclonus' burning optics, but the jet was insistent. "You didn't do any of it and nor did you want it to happen. It wasn't your fault." </p><p>Silence consumed the medbay for a long time. The little motorbike was at war with himself. He still felt terrible, felt like it was his fault. But Cyclonus was right. He didn't shoot those mecha- He wasn't the one who did it. Then why did it feel like he did? Rodimus felt the need to apologize again, but didn't say a word. Instead, he leaned his helm on Tailgate again, letting silent tears slip. "It's okay to feel bad, Rodimus," the white mech's voice was much gentler now. "But you can't blame yourself for this. I promise you, little dude, Cy and I will always be here to help you. Okay?"</p><p>"Thank you," he murmured, and he saw Cyclonus smile. "No problem. Percy's going to recover- You need to rest too. You deserve it." </p><p>"And we're gonna beat the slag out of whoever made you think this was your fault!" Tailgate slammed a fist against his servo, and the youngling couldn't hold back a sad laugh. He felt a big gentle servo wipe the tears from his faceplates as Tailgate rumbled his engines. "Sleep now." Cyclonus murmured, placing his other servo on his conjunx to calm him. "We're all so, so proud of you."</p><p>And as Rodimus' optics faded shut, he felt truly at peace again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Act Two: Searching for Signs, Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A step forward turns into two steps back, and Optimus is left wondering why.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>THIS TOOK SO LONG I'M SORRY. School and other things have consumed my life. Without further ado, though, here's Act Two kicked off!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dawnbreaker?" Optimus leaned his head into their new, makeshift medbay. They'd taken the time to set up a little base in their crash site, salvaging whatever they could of what was on the Arc- Their energon reserves were only slightly damaged, making it easier to salvage most of it. <i>Primus was merciful again,</i> Optimus thought. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Dawnbreaker looked up at him with what looked to be a bucket at her side. He couldn't stop himself from wondering about it. <i>Why the bucket?</i> "Would you mind if I came in?"</p><p>"Don't mind at all, Op." She shrugged, tapping on the edge of Whirl's helm again. At the sight of the unconscious helicopter Optimus raised an optical ridge with concern. As unpleasant as Whirl could be, he was still worried. "Is he awake, or..?"</p><p>"He's about to be." She picked up the bucket, which, much to Optimus' distress, was full of water- and before he could stop her, with a <i>SPLASH!</i> Dawnbreaker threw the contents onto Whirl's optical pit. The gargling sound that ensued from the helicopter was enough to make Optimus hold back a laugh. The poor mech was not only soaked, but now shocked back into reality too. Whirl rocketed into a sitting position and rapidly shook his head, throwing water through the room as Dawnbreaker cackled and clapped- His optic flickered on, and narrowed with irritation as Optimus waved sheepishly. "Good morning."</p><p>"What kinda wake-up was <i>that?</i>" The mech shouted as he stopped shaking his head, his optic still bouncing around in its pit. The smaller Seeker just laughed and grinned at him. "Welcome back to the land of the online, Whirl."</p><p>"Yeah, cool, whatever, Dawny what the <i>Pit!?</i>"</p><p>"What'd you expect?" She rolled her optics and put her servos on her hips, still smiling. "You weren't waking up otherwise." Dawnbreaker threw a rag to the larger helicopter. He took it and shot her a glare, to which she replied, "It was funny, don't give me that. Cool your jets." Whirl just grumbled and wiped away the water in his optical pit, then on and around his helm. Optimus clasped his servos, trying not to seem too amused. "So," he broke the silence. "We're all alive, which is good news."</p><p>"Uh-huh." Whirl was staring straight at him, as if challenging him. The Prime fiddled with his servos and looked down. "Well," he began again, trying his best to retain optical contact. "We met some natives to this planet. Humans, they call themselves. They're peaceful organics, with no desire to harm us."</p><p>"Don' think they could." The copter snorted derisively, making Optimus go back to focusing on his servos. After a moment of steeling himself, he looked up. "Either way, we're in their territory now. I'd like to get back to Cybertron as soon as possible, so… Would you please cooperate with us?"</p><p>Silence. The cyan mech's optic narrowed even more, the piercing yellow making Optimus shift with discomfort and focus once more on his servos. <i>Uh oh,</i> he worried. <i>I just hit a nerve.</i> Dawnbreaker's violet gaze was on him too, and the pressure made his faceplates heat up a bit. He was being gauged for leadership ability. He could tell. The Seeker was telling him not to back down, but the sheer volatility of Whirl's personality made him desperately want to defuse the potential conflict.</p><p>"Fine." Like the breaking of a storm, the copter crossed his arms and sighed begrudgingly. "I ain't gonna fraggin' like it, though."</p><p>"That's okay," Optimus tried not to let his relief show in his vocalizer. "Just until we get back home. When we get back, I promise, I'll never bother you again." After that, Dawnbreaker rolled her optics, and Optimus felt a pang of regret. <i>Shouldn't have said that.</i> "Yeah, whatever." The copter sighed, now getting up. Optimus tried to offer a smile. "Okay. I need to check in with the rest of the team, now. Do you two need anything?"</p><p>"Nope."</p><p>"Nah." The chorus of nos was welcome to his audials, and the red mech sighed, proceeding to start to leave the little medbay. "Very well." So, he waved a farewell and stepped out onto the planet Earth.</p><p>The planet itself was a gorgeous place- hues of green, brown and blue colored its surface, and many tiny organics skittered and fluttered about. The old mech invented deeply and sighed, staring off into the boundless horizon. Everything on this planet seemed so small to Cybertronians. The only one of the team who even came close to being sized for this planet was Bumblebee, and Cassie only came up to the New Age Autobot's ankle. He wondered, for a moment, if there were any other Cybertronians on this planet- Where were they? Who were they? Were they alive? For a moment, he even caught himself wondering about his old friends.</p><p>His wondering was cut off quickly, however, as he noticed the yellow form of Bumblebee skidding towards him. Soundwave followed not far behind- Their biolights flashed a little greeting. "Boss! I've got news!" The New Age Autobot said, catching his attention. Optimus kneeled to the ground to speak with him. "Yes?"</p><p>"The Arc took a lot more damage than we thought. It's gonna take us a while to fix it… About 6 stellar cycles, I'm pretty sure." The red mech blanched. Six stellar cycles? <i>I can't be away for that long!</i>  "Is there any way at all to speed up the process?" </p><p>"I can try to be faster, but we'll need to tug the front end outta the ground. Then I'll need a lot of scrap metal, to weld it together, that'll need to be space worthy too." A pit settled in Optimus' fuel tank, his spark sinking. It was so much work, there were so many variables… "Plus, we need the time to recuperate and get it together before we do any big things."</p><p>"Bumblebee, Soundwave," he sighed. "What can I do to help move this along faster? We need to get back to Cybertron somehow. We can't spend that long here." Soundwave strummed, and Bumblebee nodded along, tapping along on his leg. "Wave says we can't rush it unless we wanna risk another crash," the youngling translated. "It's too hard to get it done quick, we need time."</p><p>"But…" Guilt sank like a stone in the older mech. Optimus thought about his young apprentice, Rodimus, and his tanks tied in a knot. <i>He's all alone.</i> It felt like someone was grabbing his circuitry. But he couldn't dwell now- he had a job to do. Shaking it off, he got back to his pedes and stared at the wreckage of the Arc. "Bumblebee," he said. "Get Dawnbreaker and Whirl. Soundwave, Get Terradome."</p><p>"What?! Why? Isn't Whirl-"</p><p>"We're going to try to lift the ship out of the ground today."</p><p>The reaction from the duo was immediate- Soundwave sharply gasped and whined as Bee's expression shifted to one of shock. "Boss- We can't do that! You're <i>limping</i>, Whirl probably just woke up! We ain't in shape for that!"</p><p>"But we have to <i>at least</i> try." The red mech’s thoughts went back to Rodimus, and he pushed away the crawling guilt that threatened to take over. “Gather everyone together. We’re trying this today, right here, right now.” Soundwave began to strum frantically across the strings on their midriff, and Bumblebee shook his head. “Op, they’re saying that they don’t think they’re in shape for that. I’m not either! We need time!”</p><p>“We don’t <i>have</i> time, Bumblebee.” Optimus pinched his nasal ridge and sighed. “Please, just do it." The little yellow bot knew he couldn't argue. He sighed, and nodded slowly. "... Alright, boss." With that, Bumblebee skidded towards the medbay, and Soundwave slowly made their way to the edge of the forest for Terradome. Not too much later, they had gathered everyone.</p><p>Cassie and Bazz, meanwhile, had wanted to visit like the mecha said they could, but seemed to have stumbled in at the wrong time. The duo leaned from behind a large tree and watched the six, all gathered together. Optimus was speaking now. "Please, just work with me here!" The red mech was exasperated. Terradome's optics were wide like those of a nervous deer. "Sir- sir, we can't! We need time!"</p><p>"We don't have time. We need to get back to Cybertron as soon as possible!" Bazz tugged gently on Cassie's arm, but she put a finger to her lips and mouthed <i>later</i>. Whirl, meanwhile, simply huffed and crossed his arms. "I was gonna take a nap, but a'ight." Optimus sighed and put his servo on his forehead. "As soon as we at least get the Ark out of the ground, you can. I promise."</p><p>"Ops, there are too few of us, and the ship's too big." Bumblebee tried to reiterate, glancing around. Cassie flinched. <i>He's trying to get that big ship out already? But they just crashed! They have to be hurt!</i> "We need to recuperate if we even wanna try. That thing weighs over-"</p><p>"We can't risk staying here too long. We all know that the Epsilon are bolstering and getting stronger. Who knows how much damage they'll do if we don't get back and help?" The human girl waved along her younger brother into the junkyard and walked over to the group of six, making Dawnbreaker's audials twitch and her head turn. " 'Ello," the New Age Decepticon greeted, crouching to face the tiny duo. "What's brought you two here?"</p><p>"We wanted to come visit," Cassie spoke up. "What's going on?"</p><p><b>/Op- wants to- lift the- arc- out of the ground,/</b> Soundwave's radios came on in a burst of static, and the girl's eyes widened for a moment. <i>How did they do that?!</i> She wondered as they continued. Their voice was all mashed together clips and radio segments, people talking and singing. <b>/He wants to- get home- soon- because of- Epsilon- threat./</b></p><p>"Epsilon?" The human tilted her head. Her younger brother, meanwhile, clung to her arm and hid, whimpering slightly. Soundwave keened sadly and went silent as the blue and purple Seeker continued. "A group of goons who wanna restart the war that happened a bit before I was sparked. They're basically a funky sort of Decepticon, my faction."</p><p>"What do the factions mean? Is that why your mark is purple and theirs is red?" Dawnbreaker nodded. "Mhm. That's exactly why. The factions, though… Well, they don't mean much anymore. My caretaker's an Autobot, but I'm a Decepticon." She shrugged as she spoke. "I dunno. It doesn't mean much anymore, like I said. There are neutrals too- some people, like Whirl, don't have a brand."</p><p>"You talkin' 'bout me?" Whirl's head swiveled to the group, and Bazz leaned out from behind his sister and waved at him excitedly. He seemed to like the big cyan helicopter for… whatever reason. "Not really. Just filling these two in about the-"</p><p>"Dawnbreaker, Whirl," Optimus cut the young Seeker off. "We're headed to the Arc now. We're going to try to lift it."</p><p>"I told ya, it ain't gonna do nothin'!" Whirl objected, but the red mech didn't listen. "We never know if we don't try. Now come on. We have a job to do." The young medic sighed through gritted dentae and shook her head, then turned to the duo of humans. "Well… This ought to be interesting."</p><p>"Can we come?" </p><p>"...Just stay back. I don't know how to repair humans." Bazz hopped up and down excitedly as Cassie just nodded, directing her younger brother to stay by her side. "So, how big is this Arc?" She attempted to make conversation as they walked, and Dawnbreaker pondered a moment. "Well, big enough to have Terra standing comfortably." Cassie's jaw once again dropped. The Seeker gave her an odd look. "What? Why's your mouth open like that?"</p><p>"Oh, um, humans sometimes do that when we're surprised. It's that big?" The medic snickered and brushed a servo as if waving her away. "Pfft- I've seen way bigger starships than that one. You humans are really small, huh? Get this: I'm still growing." Cassie couldn't believe it. <i>What? I'm up to her ankle!,</i> She blanched at the larger mech for a moment, before speaking again. “How… How big are you gonna get?”</p><p>“Taller than Terradome.” She had a smirk on her face. The human stared at the mecha incredulously. “You’ve gotta be joking.”</p><p>“Nope! I’m not! Us Seeker frames are huge to you humans, but we take a bit to grow.” With that, they’d finally come to the hull of the Arc, the silvery blue metal dirty and scorched from its entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The nose of the ship was buried almost completely in the ground. The back end, meanwhile, stood high in the air- the metal creaked with the effort of holding itself against gravity, as if any pressure atop it would cause it to split in half. Destitute and crumbling, with the metal burnt and peeled back, Cassie knew that it would take the group of six much, much more than they originally thought. Nevertheless, Optimus still had everyone get into position. The larger mecha, Soundwave and Terradome,  crouched and put their hands onto the front hull, and the smaller two, Dawnbreaker and Bumblebee, got more towards the back to catch whatever the larger mecha may lift. Optimus and Whirl got to the center, and Whirl sighed heavily. ‘You’re really doin’ this, huh?’”</p><p>“We need to get back as soon as possible. Now lift, on the count of three! One...” The duo in front steeled themselves for the job.<br/>
“Two…” The Seeker and the Minibot exchanged a glance, one of apprehension and nervousness.<br/>
“Three! Pull!” Terra and Soundwave pushed upwards on the ship in a great effort. The hull groaned as the duo shook with the sheer weight. Cassie pushed her brother backwards and stepped back, jaw agape- She couldn’t believe her eyes. They were actually moving that massive starship. The thing practically blotted out the sun as it was hauled from the ground, and the two in the front pushed some of the weight back to Optimus and Whirl. However, before they even had a chance to pull any further, before Dawnbreaker and Bumblebee could take any weight, Cassie heard a terrible snap. She heard a shrieking wail from Soundwave and watched in horror as their leg spat sparks, crushed under the sheer weight of the Arc. “Wait, wait, stop!” Terra shouts with alarm. “Soundwave’s hurt!”</p><p>“We- can’t!” The red mech shouted back. He was clearly under strain, as well. “We need to- keep- going!” Soundwave wailed again, and Cassie covered her brother’s eyes. The boy whined a little- “Cassie, are they gonna..?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shhh…” She soothed. “They’ll be fine, Bazz. Don’t you worry a thing.”</p><p>Another crunch, and Soundwave collapsed. Terra gasped as almost all of the weight was forced onto him, trying his best to shift so he wasn’t crushed. “Ack- I’m gonna get crushed!”</p><p>“Primus dammit,” Whirl rushed away from his post and went upwards to the front of the ship. “Dawny, Bee, get your afts ova’ here!” Optimus tried his best to continue, but he simply couldn’t. The Seeker transformed and blasted forward to knock the larger green mech out from under the Arc. Bumblebee meanwhile started to drag away Soundwave, with their legs hanging from wires and spitting sparks and energon- Cassie’s jaw hung and her eyes widened at the horrific sight, the dark blue mech’s lights flashing red as they wailed. And soon, all their progress was for naught, and Optimus dove from underneath the Arc. Pain immediately shot through every part of his body- His back, his neck cables, his legs and arms. Even keeping the Arc held for a short amount of time had hurt, and hurt terribly. The arc fell to the ground once again with a colossal <b><i>THUD,</i></b> throwing dust, dirt, and small chunks of metal into the air and making the human girl shield herself and her brother with a sleeve. When the dust settled, she covered her mouth in horror.</p><p>Soundwave’s legs were crushed and gored, and their visor no longer glowed. Terra, his audial horns drooped as he struggled to recover from the sheer weight he held- His knee joints had what looked to be lesions in them from all the weight he took. Bumblebee and Dawnbreaker looked relatively okay, but still shaken up- The Seeker was welding the big blue mecha’s legs back together with panic gleaming in her optics, as Bumblebee practically held his friend together. The cyan helicopter had his arms crossed and was giving Optimus a hearty glare. “This all coulda been prevented, y’know.”</p><p>Optimus looked down. “Everything here could have been prevented. I know that.”</p><p>“Then why’d you do this?!” The copter exploded. “Why’d you gotta make us try to lift <i>the fragging ARC?!</i>”</p><p>“I…” He sighed. “I just wanted to fix it.”</p><p>“Well ya coulda waited! We got time!” He sat on the ground with a huff. “We got all the time in th’ world!”</p><p>“Whirl, no we <i>don’t</i>. The situation has much more to it than you know. We all need to-”</p><p>“What we <i>need</i> is to heal. Look at Wave! Their <i>legs fell off!</i>” The red mech looked over. They were twitching as Dawnbreaker welded them back together, and he couldn’t stare for any longer. It felt like his energon had turned to ice. “It don’t matter how much time we got. For now, we’re doin’ this <i>my way,</i> and we need <i>rest.</i>” With that, Whirl trudged back over to the rest of the team, and Optimus sat in silence, and in guilt. That creeping guilt from before was in full force now. He felt as though he had betrayed the others, and betrayed Rodimus. When the young bot came to mind, he nearly teared up- What was supposed to be a step forward had turned into three steps backwards. “Rodimus…” He murmured. “No, <i>everyone</i>… I’m sorry.”</p>
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